It seems strange at first that Tea Party supporters would so quickly overlook their own dependence on the federal government, especially for Medicare and Social Security, in order to rally to a multi-millionaire who wants to dismantle these supports. But this rally was not really about government policy or programs, and it certainly was not about historical truth. Glenn Beck, like every other conservative leader, has long since abandoned any reverence for facts, and would much rather cloak himself in hypocrisy and self-delusion. His “educational” programs are so lacking in fact or honesty that they have become a form of conservative propaganda. The Glenn Beck crowd today, much like his audience for his television, radio, or book products, was overwhelmingly white and elderly. Many of them were from the South, and however indistinctly and subconsciously, their slave-owning ancestors and Jim Crow enforcers were whispering to them today through the mystic chords of memory. Many others were the progeny of immigrant forefathers from Europe – immigrants who may have had trouble assimilating in America on the basis of religion or language or culture, but who blended in on the all-important matter of race.
The Agonist (via azspot)